Another Eclipse: Mitsubishi’s New Crossover Wears a Familiar Name

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The Mitsubishi Eclipse is dead; long live the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross. A new Mitsubishi crossover will wear the familiar nameplate when it makes its debut next month at the Geneva auto show. Called the Eclipse Cross, the small SUV is meant to evoke memories of the long-running Eclipse sports coupe that was in production from 1989 until 2011. Of course, everything besides the badge is completely different. The Eclipse Cross is a four-door crossover meant to slot in between the Outlander and the Outlander Sport models in Mitsu’s SUV-heavy lineup.

Full details on the Eclipse Cross will have to wait until its official reveal, but we do know that engineering for this new model was done in-house by Mitsubishi, with no help from its new corporate partner Nissan. A turbocharged four-cylinder engine will be under the hood, making more power and torque than the current 2.4-liter four-cylinder installed in the Outlander Sport (that engine makes 166 to 168 horsepower and 162 to 167 lb-ft of torque). Both front- and all-wheel-drive versions are expected to be offered.

As we can see from Mitsubishi’s teaser photos, the Eclipse Cross will follow the company’s current styling conventions, with Mitsubishi’s Diamond Shield grille prominent up front and an angular, wedge-shaped profile with a rising character line. Interestingly-shaped taillights make us think that Mitsubishi will go for a funkier, Nissan Juke–like vibe with this new model.

U.S. buyers will play a bit of a waiting game for the Eclipse Cross, as this new model won’t reach our shores until the beginning of 2018, likely as a 2019 model. Meantime, maybe Mitsubishi will roll out a droptop version and call it the Eclipse Cross Spyder.